Breaking News: Robinson Cano Tests Positive for PEDs, Suspended for 2021

MLB announced Wednesday afternoon that Robinson Cano has tested positive for PEDs and will be suspended for the entire 2021 season. Here’s the brief statement:

The Office of the Commissioner of Baseball announced today that New York Mets second baseman Robinson Canó has received a 162-game suspension without pay after testing positive for Stanozolol, a performance-enhancing substance, in violation of Major League Baseball’s Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program.

The suspension of Canó, who was previously suspended for a violation of the Program on May 15, 2018, will commence at the start of the 2021 regular season.

Is this really a surprise to anyone? Cano’s first season in Flushing, at age 36 when players typically begin a steep decline, was a disaster. Yet somehow he returned in his age 37 season by hitting .316 in coronavirus-shortened 2020. That just doesn’t normally happen at that age anymore — not without a little chemical help, that is.

This also proves my theory that Cano played his entire career while taking steroids and somehow stayed a step ahead of the testing. Although Stanzolol is an old-school PED; maybe his designer drug dealer wouldn’t sell to him anymore?

So Cano’s Mets career has to be over, right? They can’t bring him back. The Wilpons would have, if only to recoup their terrible Brodie Van Wagenen investment. However, Steve Cohen should just write Cano a $40 million check right now for the final two years on his contract so he can just go away forever and we can forget this regrettable chapter in Mets history (until Jarred Kelenic becomes an All-Star!)

In any case, this is not a terrible thing for the Mets. They save $20 million and it allows them to put Jeff McNeil at his natural position of second base, freeing up another spot in the lineup for an upgrade. So, silver lining?